The Day | Tenants Buy Cooper Square Apartments For $250

Good morning, East Village.

Strega, the band that’s partly based in the neighborhood, has released the above video for its Christmas ditty, “When The Stars Are Shining Bright (At Christmas Time).”

280 apartments managed by the Cooper Square Mutual Housing Association are going coop. “Tenants are buying shares in the M.H.A. for the jaw-dropping amount of just $250 each,” says Val Orselli, the M.H.A.’s executive director. “We’ve averaged about 60 closings per day so far.” [East Villager]

A 36-year-old man was shot in the back on the Lower East Side yesterday afternoon. [NBC NY, Daily News, DNA Info, The Lo-Down]

“Con Ed customers blacked out by Hurricane Sandy are getting a break on their electric bills. State officials yesterday approved Con Ed’s proposal for a one-time cut to the basic service charge paid by more than 1 million residential electric customers who lost power during the storm.” [NY Post]

Danny Stein photographs the Orthodox Jewish community of the Lower East Side, “which in recent years has been evolving from the first home for newly arrived foreigners to a venue for gentrification.” [NY Times]

Some nostalgia for the Palladium: “But beyond the history and shenanigans that went on inside the place, I still miss the looming exterior of the Palladium, especially the big mural. My favorite aspect was, of course, the skull.” [Flaming Pablum]

“Screaming Mimi’s owner Laura Wills has had an ‘ugly Christmas sweater’ rack in her store for almost 10 years now. This year, she’s expanded her stock to include ugly Hanukkah sweaters.” [Paper]

“The Houston Street Center, University Settlement is now offering FREE acupuncture to help reduce the stress that was brought about by Hurricane Sandy.” [NearSay]

SantaCon has released a map of where its drunken Santas will be congregating in the East Village. Our friends at Eater have posted it. [Eater]